Best Christmas Gift this Year

The Christmas gift I will use the most this year? A hand-me-down coat from Lunar. She doesn't need it anymore, and I can certainly use it. Hand-me-downs are not just for kids - adults can use them too. If you have something nice that you just don't wear anymore, think of a friend who can use it and pass it along. They are sure to appreciate it. (and if they don't, they're a snob :)

Christmas Gift Spending Poll

So people tend to spend more than $200 on Christmas gifts. How can we give gifts with meaning and then not feel the credit pinch in the New Year?

1. always pay cash for your gifts - credit cards enable us to spend more than we should

2. keep a list of exactly what you plan to give to each person, and then what you have already purchased

3. mail purchases at least 10 days before Christmas so you don't pay extra for shipping

4. teacher gifts - make cookies or some other inexpensive food item (they really don't want another mug or some item to clutter their home)

5. look for sales or inexpensive places to shop - I particularly like Tuesday morning and sales items at World Market

6. if you have a large family, draw names for one nice gift instead of lots of little gifts which really add up

7. make a budget and stick to it - kids won't love you any less if you spend $25 less on them

8. if you really enjoy being out in the Christmas shopping spirit and might be encouraged to spend, only take a little cash with you and no cards and just enjoy windowshopping, music and decorations

9. ignore all the talk about deflation - look for good sales and by what you need at a price you can afford

Any other ideas?

Regifting is Good

20 years ago I received some of the best advice I have ever been given. I was engaged to be married and starting to receive lots of wedding gifts. My soon to be sister-in-law (who is 19 years older) told me to take back anything I didn't really want. I lived under the guilt complex that I had to keep whatever people gave me, especially for a wedding. But if I were not really going to use it in my dream house one day, why keep it? I could end up being on Clean House one day if I lived like that.

So I always have a regift cabinet - items that I do appreciate, but either aren't really me or we don't need or that someone else might like better. One never knows when one of those items will make someone else very happy. Case in point - yesterday we had a Dirty Santa office party. The items brought had to be just things we picked up around the house. In my regift cabinet were two small Americana paintings of interesting looking roosters that I received at the Dirty Santa family gathering last Christmas. If I decorated in country style, they would work (wild as they look). But my house is eclectic feng shui with a hint of colonial Carribean. So I brought the roosters, feeling kinda bad that someone would be stuck with them. Turns out they were a hot item and a co-worker went home quite happy. Who would have thought?

Regifting saves money. Regifting is good for the environment. And one person's tacky junk can well be someone else's great free find.

Inexpensive Holiday Parties

My daughter and I hosted a mother daughter holiday tea party the other day. It's always fun to have people over and celebrate. But how does one do that on a budget? Here are some tips -
1. appetizers and snacks are less expensive than a full meal
2. invite your friends to bring food and drinks (pot luck is always fun!)
3. host while the house is already decorated - it adds to the festivities
4. making your own food costs less than buying items already made - do items ahead and freeze until time for the party
5. if you need to give party favors, buy a yard of tulle - put individual items in it (we put 2 individually wrapped bags of tea and some mints) - tie with a little ribbon
6. go vegetarian - cheese and meat items tend to cost more
7. make mini items - mini muffins and mini scones go a lot further than large ones
8. sparkling water in a 2 ltr - fancy drink for the best price

Any other ideas out there?

I love campmor.com

I'm a lightweight when it comes to outdoor activities compared to a good number of my buddies in Asheville. I like hiking, camping, etc. - but I am nowhere near as hardcore. But I can and do learn from my friends. I listen when they make suggestions about where to get really good outdoor and athletic apparel at a low cost. I am always freezing (even living in the South), so the two things I need are really good warm socks and silk thermal underwear. www.campmor.com has the best deals, by a long shot. It's hit or miss - might not get the color you want - but the deals can't be beat. Just purchased Sonny Boy some snowboarding socks there (since he is a cool snowboarding dude :) Happy shopping!

Date Night Poll

Okay - readers - gotta vote more on the polls! The first poll showed that people were fairly split on how much a couple spends on date night (yep, that's right - all 3 of us who voted!). Need some suggestions for keeping the cost down?
1. check out a local community website or newspaper for free music events
2. catch a late matinee movie and then go to your fave coffee shop for a drink (as opposed to expensive dinner and then evening movie)
3. pack a picnic and find a fun spot to enjoy it
4. for a fancy dinner - dress up at home, open a bottle of wine, and beg your mom (or best friend) to make a nice dinner that you don't have to prepare

Any other ideas out there?

Cheese Freezes

Did you know that cheese freezes? I didn't until recently. My advice - stock up when your favorite cheese in on sale (I absolutely love Cabot Farms Sharp Cheddar!) and throw it in the freezer until you need some more. Cheese is something a family tends to go through pretty quickly, and this is a good way to keep it in the house at a lower cost.

You just can't get embarrassed

If one embarrasses easily, it's hard to find ways to pinch those pennies. I like to project a nice, calm, put together image. Sometimes, I have to let the image go to use my common sense. And sometimes I have to let the image go when my husband Andy finds a way to use common sense. Last night, we were at a dinner event with fresh greenery on the tables. We were helping clean. I have no problem in taking leftover food for the family (especially feeding a teenage boy and a middle school girl who eats like a teenage boy). I was happy to do that. Now when it came to the greenery, we had to dispose of it. Andy (wisely) asked if he could take some of it home to decorate. He took most of it, actually. Now, it's just a few dollars I won't spend on some bows or greenery - but it all adds up.

Another good tip for free fresh greenery - go to a lot where Christmas trees are sold and ask for any leftoff cuttings (Andy did that the other day too!).

Someone has to do something with these things. Might as well be us.

Inexpensive Dessert for Holiday Parties

This time of year can be exhausting. It seems that every time we turn around, we have another holiday party and we need to bring some kind of food item. I normally opt for dessert - it usually costs less! And this one contains ingredients I always have on hand. (With the added bonus that it does not contain chocolate - which costs more and which I cannot resist as well.) Here's one of my inexpensive faves -

Molasses Squares
1/2 c. butter
1/4 c. molasses
3/4 c. brown sugar, packed
1 c. flour
1/2 tsp. soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 eggs

Combine all ingredients in mixing bowl; beat well. Pour into greased and floured pan. Bake 25 minutes at 350 degrees.

Advent Calendars

So this is a day late - but Advent has come up fast this year (and it seems to get faster the older I get). My kids love, and I do mean love, those Advent Calendars where you open a window and get chocolate. They are fairly easy to find, and I use to think spending $5 or $6 wasn't a bad price. But then a couple years ago I found them at World Market for less than $2! The pictures are very small kiddie - but my teen does not care as long as he can start each day of December with chocolate. Heck, I wouldn't either.

This isn't about the big bucks...

I enjoy those times when I can lazily start my days, lounging around and drinking hot tea while watching one of those morning shows. This past summer, I noticed that one of those shows (can't remember which one - just remember a bunch of people standing out in Times Square with too much time on their hands) kept doing segments on how to save money. Of course, I watched! I was trying to figure out how to put food on the table for a teenage boy and sometimes his friends in the midst of escalating grocery bills.

So I'm in the lazy summer mood, ready to learn how to count those dimes, nickels and pennies. And what do they tell me? "You can have date night for less than $50!" "Buy a total new outfit (pants and top with accessories) for $98!" "Entertain another couple for under $20 in your home!" "Your anti-aging regimen only needs to cost $43!" (okay - so I don't remember the exact amount for that one - but I figure I spent way too much time sunbathing as a teen to undo all that damage anyway).

Now just who is this target audience!? If Andy and I have a date night for $50, that's called a wedding anniversary (and possibly one that ends in a 0 or 5). The last time I spent $100 on a total outfit was for my wedding rehearsal. And like I ever spend $20 for two of our friends to come eat and hang out?

This blog is for the average American who has credit card debt and wishes we could do without cable, but that BBC America or Style Network keeps us going. The morning shows might be targeting people who would pay more in taxes under Obama's plan, but this blog is for the rest of us.